Deborah Fraser, PhD

As a trained Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Certified Psychoanalyst in full time private practice with 25+ years of experience, I am an expert in identifying behavioral patterns and relationship problems. I work with adult and young adult individuals as well as couples in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. I blend my clinical experience with the latest research and cultural developments to help people live better lives. My approach is holistic, humanistic and compassionate. As a therapist, I seek to understand what is unique about you--who you are as an individual given your family and cultural background. I believe that compassion is a key ingredient in this process. Having compassion for ourselves and the people in our lives allows us to take risks to change and helps us create and maintain healthy relationships. Compassion reveals our humanity, and ultimately, can transform us. My understanding of human nature is that we have deeply embedded patterns of relationships which direct our choices in life. I believe that we learn to follow relationship scripts written in early childhood. These scripts which are unconscious, and function without our awareness, influence the way we see ourselves, connect with others, and make decisions about our lives. In therapy, through intimate conversation in a confidential, supportive space, we identify how these scripts affect you. Through this process of self discovery the well worn grooves of the problematic parts of these scripts are re-written. With courage, compassion, and motivation to change, therapy can give you the freedom to re-write these scripts and live more fully your authentic self. With a speciality in interpersonal psychoanalysis, I am uniquely qualified to help couples in therapy. I work with couples in all stages of relationships--from those experiencing escalating conflict to those hoping to gain skills in order to keep the relationship healthy and strong. The major aim of therapy is to apply the new knowledge about self/other, to break ineffective patterns, and develop new ways of relating. In addition to my full time private practice, I am passionate about teaching. I hold Faculty, Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst positions at William Alanson White Institute, one of the largest, preeminent psychoanalytic training programs in the world. For the past four years I held the position of Director of Curriculum as well. Currently, I sit on the Nominations and Elections Committee in addition to the Training Committee. On a personal note, I am an avid, long distance swimmer, enjoy running, hiking and yoga. I live in New York City with my family.